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Learning and understanding the levels
of perception can help you reduce stress, get better results at work, create
stronger relationships and become a more effective educator, mentor, parent and
boss. First a few basics – the levels or
perception are a collection of references you have, they are your own personal
library of how you like the world. I think of the levels like the neural
connections in the brain – a bunch of things all wired together. They are formed from the lowest level (most
basic) to the highest level (most complex). Each higher level is developed by
combining different perceptions from the levels below. For example the color red, a somewhat round
shape, a stem at the top, a dimple at the bottom, may be combined to become
“apple,” at a higher level.
Learning is about creating and
connecting the lower levels and moving your way up. Think of learning math. You learn to understand what the symbol “5”
represents - later you learn that 5+5 =10 then you are taught t…

One of the greatest challenges in embedding a new innovation
is – what do to with the dead wood. Do
you clear it, minimize it or leave it be? This discussion always reminds me
of forest management, in which there is a debate as to how much dead wood is
healthy for new growth and biodiversity.
One side of the argument is that the dead wood creates fertile ground
for disease and increases the risk of wild fire. The other side of the dispute is that deadwood
provides healthy compost for new growth, acts as shelter for animals and other new
forms of growth. In fact a nurse log is a fallen tree which, as it
decays, provides ecological facilitation to seedlings. “Dead and dying trees
play a key role in the functioning and productivity of forest ecosystems
through effects on biodiversity, carbon storage, soil nutrient cycling, energy
flows, hydrological processes, and natural regeneration of trees.” (UK Forestry
Commission 2002)
Still – how much dead wood can a forest sustain and still b…

In 1932, Victor Halperin directed White Zombie, a horror film starring Bela Lugosi sharing his
view of zombies. The film depicted zombies as mindless, unthinking henchmen
under the spell of an evil magician. Although Zombies are rather on trend,
thanks to The Walking Dead,
far too many individuals spend their days powering through life, racing from
email, to text, to twitter, oscillating between online and real time, unable
(or unwilling) to slow down. Mindlessly pushing through the day. There are far
too many zombies out there, and unfortunately education is full of them. Recognizing who they are and realizing that
if you can wake-them-up they can move an initiative far faster and deeper than
almost any other group in your organization. Zombies are often the unofficial power
brokers of the school.
Teachers who have taught the same lesson for the past 20
years. Students who only do as much as
is required to not get into trouble. Parents who see education as the total
responsibility…